MacHeist II to launch soon with new mysteries, new bundle

MacHeist II is going live soon: another attractive bundle, another boatload of …

We would like to say we hax0red their Gibson, but the folks behind MacHeist don't use that particular collocation service. Instead, we just happen to be privy to some top secret information that we're willing to declassify for you. Although not live as of this publishing, the folks behind MacHeist assure us that the directorate once again needs the Mac community's help, and his request will go out very soon.

For those of you not aware, this will be the second incarnation of the MacHeist "event"—an event that invites Mac users to complete in spy-like, Mac-centric missions in order to win free software and earn percentages off a final software bundle. Last year's bundle, a $350 value spread over 10 applications, ended up going for $49 and included licenses for popular software such as Delicious Library, TextMate, and DEVONthink Personal.

Last year's Heist was met with some criticism from major names in the Apple blogging and development community. Most complaints stemmed from how some thought profits were shared with participating developers (as in, some people thought it was crap). Despite the complaints and all the drama that followed, the event still ended up bringing in over $200,000 for charity when it donated 25 percent of total sales.

Once again, the folks behind MacHeist are planning on donating the same amount of sales to charity this year. While some of us at Ars have already seen what's included in this year's bundle, don't try getting anything out of me—my lips are sealed. What I am willing to say is that there are more than a few apps in this bundle that I would like to own, and a discount would certainly be welcome.